A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 1962 - Articles Page 12

Opened: May 8, 1962

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - 1962 - Broadway History , Info & More

Majestic Theatre (Broadway)
245 West 44th St. New York, NY

Based on the plays Miles Gloriosus, Pseudolus, and Mostellaria by Plautus (251-183 B.C.)

This hysterical musical features a beloved score by Stephen Sondheim and an uproarious book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. The musical's original Broadway production won several Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book. Forum has also enjoyed several Broadway and West End revivals.



A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum tells the bawdy story of Pseudolus, a slave in ancient Rome, who goes to great lengths to gain his freedom by securing a courtesan for his young master, Hero. Scheming slaves, mistaken identities and courtesans each with their own gimmick deliver on the promise of the famous opening number, that there will be comedy tonight.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - 1962 - Broadway Cast

Get A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Email Alerts

Be the first to get ticket offers, news, photos & more.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - 1962 - Broadway Articles Page 12

Signature Theatre Closes the Curtain on SWEENEY TODD, 4/4
by BWW News Desk - Apr 4, 2010


The Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre, nationally known for its interpretation of Stephen Sondheim musicals, celebrated its 20th anniversary season by presenting Sondheim's most popular musical SWEENEY TODD, directed by Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. The production will end its run in the 276-seat MAX Theater, April 4, 2010.

Michael Ball Pays Tribute to Stephen Sondheim
by Jessica Lewis - Mar 29, 2010


Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential, and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. He is the winner of an Academy Award, numerous Tony Award, multiple Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Some of his other accolades include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors (1993), the National Medal of Arts (1996), the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal for Music (2006) and a special Tony Awardâfor Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2008).

Lansbury, Nunn, Front & Logan on Sondheim's Legacy
by Jessica Lewis - Mar 29, 2010


Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential, and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. He is the winner of an Academy Award, numerous Tony Award, multiple Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Some of his other accolades include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors (1993), the National Medal of Arts (1996), the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal for Music (2006) and a special Tony Awardâfor Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2008).

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM Closes at Reprise Theatre, 3/28
by BWW News Desk - Mar 28, 2010


Reprise Theatre Company's production of 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,' 1962's Tony-Award-winning Best Musical, will play its final performance on March 28 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Directed by David Lee, the production's book is by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

BWW Reviews: Reprise Theatre's Colossal FORUM
by Don Grigware - Mar 23, 2010


Thankfully director David Lee is giving us a presentation of Forum @ Reprise based on the 1972 Broadway revival. Why? Because it includes 2 delightful songs not in the original 1962 New York production: 'Farewell' and 'Echo Song'. These 2 numbers add that extra special touch to Lee's dynamically directed version, which puts the s in silly and could not possibly get any better.

Angela Lansbury & Catherine Zeta-Jones Join Sondheim Tribute 4/26 at City Center
by Robert Diamond - Mar 23, 2010


Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones, currently starring in the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music, have joined the all-star cast performing in Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday celebration April 26 at New York City Center. Like Lansbury and Zeta-Jones, all of the performers have either originated Sondheim characters or performed them in notable revivals.

Photo Coverage: Roundabout's Sondheim 80 Gala at Sondheim on Sondheim!
by Peter James Zielinski - Mar 23, 2010


Stephen Sondheim turned 80 on Monday, March 22nd, 2010 and he celebrated this landmark event with Roundabout Theatre Company at a special performance of Sondheim on Sondheim and star-studded tribute at Roundabout's 2010 Spring Gala: Sondheim 80.

Henry Miller Theatre's to Be Renamed as THE STEPHEN SONDHEIM THEATRE!
by Robert Diamond - Mar 22, 2010


Longtime collaborators James Lapine and John Weidman announced the renaming of Henry Miller's Theatre to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. The renaming of the theatre is dedicated to Stephen Sondheim, the greatest and best known artist in American musical theatre on his 80th birthday. The announcement was made at the curtain call following Roundabout Theatre Company's gala performance of the new Broadway musical Sondheim on Sondheim.

SONDHEIM @ 80 Stage Tube: Sondheim Wins His First TONY Awards!
by BroadwayWorld TV - Mar 22, 2010


From footage of the 1971 Tony Awards, Angela Lansbury presents Stephen Sondheim wins his first Tony Award for the music to 'Company', followed by Sondheim receiving his second Tony Award for lyrics for the same musical.

SONDHEIM @ 80 Stage Tube: 30 Songs in 9 Minutes!
by BroadwayWorld TV - Mar 22, 2010


Putting It Together is a musical revue that showcases 30 of Sondheim's most beloved songs from such musicals as Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Company, Merrily We Roll Along, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and others. Many of the classic Sondheim songs are presented in a context entirely different from that for which they were written, so the show is billed as a 'review' of the composer's work. Here's an excerpt of the revue - 30 snippets of incredible Sondheim songs!

SONDHEIM @ 80 Stage Tube: Sondheim Teaches COMPANY's 'Not Getting Married'
by BroadwayWorld TV - Mar 22, 2010


Who better to talk about and teach Sondheim's music than the man himself. Here, he teaches students at Guildhall School the song 'Not Getting Married' from 'Company'.

SONDHEIM @ 80 Stage Tube: Sondheim Teaches 'My Friends' from SWEENEY TODD
by BroadwayWorld TV - Mar 22, 2010


Who better to talk about and teach Sondheim's music than the man himself. Here, he walks through the song 'My Friends' from the macabre musical 'Sweeney Todd' with students of Guildhall School.

SONDHEIM @ 80 Stage Tube: Sondheim Teaches 'Send in the Clowns'
by Stage Tube - Mar 22, 2010


Who better to talk about and teach Sondheim's music than the man himself. In the video that follows, Sondheim teaches a student from the Guildhall School of Music in London a segment of the classic 'Send in the Clowns'.

STAGE TUBE: Reprise Theatre Presents A FUNNY THING...
by BroadwayWorld TV - Mar 18, 2010


The 2009-2010 season of Reprise Theatre Company continues with 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,' 1962's Tony-Award-winning Best Musical, now playing through March 28 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Directed by David Lee, the production's book is by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Watch a 30-second promo below!

Photo Flash: Reprise Theatre Presents A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
by BWW News Desk - Mar 16, 2010


The 2009-2010 season of Reprise Theatre Company continues with 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,' 1962's Tony-Award-winning Best Musical, March 16 to 28 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Directed by David Lee, the production's book is by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Grisetti, O’Hurley Star In Freud Playhouse's HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS... 5/11-23
by Gabrielle Sierra - Mar 16, 2010


Marcia Milgrom Dodge, whose critically acclaimed production of 'Ragtime' transferred from the Kennedy Center to Broadway last fall and is nominated for six Helen Hayes Awards, will direct and choreograph the Reprise Theatre Company production of the 1962 Pulitzer Prize winner 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.'

Reprise Theatre Company Opens A FUNNY THING HAPPENED...FORUM, 3/16
by Nicole Rosky - Mar 16, 2010


Reprise Theatre Company will open A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1962's Tony-Award-winning Best Musical, March 16-28 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Directed by David Lee, the production's book is by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Single tickets are available for Forum online at www.reprise.org or through the UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310-825-2101.

NY Philharmonic's Star Studded SONDHEIM: THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT to Feature LuPone, Peters, Cerveris, Patinkin, McDonald & More, 3/16
by BWW News Desk - Mar 16, 2010


The New York Philharmonic will present SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert on March 15 and Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. This celebration of the 80th birthday of the great Broadway and film composer/lyricist will include his most enduring orchestral music and songs - performed, in some cases, by the stars of the original Broadway cast productions - in addition to rarely-heard material. Joining the celebration will be (in alphabetical order) Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Jason Danieley, Nathan Gunn, George Hearn, Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, and others to be announced, including surprise guests. Paul Gemignani, Mr. Sondheim's longtime collaborator, will conduct the New York Philharmonic; Lonny Price is the director; and Mr. Price and Matt Cowart are the producers.

NY Philharmonic Presents SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert
by Gabrielle Sierra - Mar 12, 2010


The New York Philharmonic will present SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert on March 15 and Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.

42nd St. Moon Announces Upcoming Season Including BABES IN ARMS & STRIKE UP THE BAND
by Lauren Wolman - Mar 3, 2010


Greg MacKellan, artistic director of 42nd Street Moon, and Stephanie Rhoads, producing director, today announced details of the upcoming 2010-11 season of uncommon musical theater. For its eighteenth season, merriment abounds in a season rife with Lovers, Liars and Clowns at the Eureka Theatre. The great American composers, lyricists, and librettists featured in 2010-11 are Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, John Kander and Fred Ebb, George S. Kaufman, Stephen Sondheim and more.

Bat Boy & Midsummer Night's Dream Come to Great Lakes Theater Festival Starting April 8
by Robert Diamond - Mar 2, 2010


Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF) will conclude its 2009-10 season in the company's revolutionary home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare, with a Spring Repertory that features Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming and Laurence O'Keefe's outrageous Off-Broadway Musical of the Year, Bat Boy: The Musical and William Shakespeare's magical masterpiece, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The productions will be performed in rotating repertory April 8 - May 16, 2010. The Spring Repertory features GLTF's resident artistic company of actors performing two alternating plays on the same stage over six weeks. Veteran Festival artist Victoria Bussert will direct Bat Boy: The Musical and GLTF's Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee will direct A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Lane, LuPone, Garber et al. Celebrate Sondheim's 80th with Starry Benefit Gala, 4/26
by Jessica Lewis - Feb 24, 2010


Tom Aldredge, Len Cariou, Nathan Lane, Alexander Hanson and Michele Pawk have joined other stars who have shone in Stephen Sondheim musicals, including Michael Cerveris, Barbara Cook, Raúl Esparza, Sutton Foster, Victor Garber, Joanna Gleason, Patti LuPone, Donna Murphy and Bernadette Peters in a gala celebration of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Stephen Sondheim on the occasion of his 80th birthday on Monday, April 26. The gala, directed by Tony Award winner John Doyle, will highlight numbers from shows for which Mr. Sondheim has written both music and lyrics, and will feature a full orchestra conducted by Encores! Music Director Rob Berman. The benefit will help fund New York City Center's artistic and education programs. In addition, a portion of the evening's proceeds will go to Young Playwrights Inc, a charity of great importance to Mr. Sondheim.

David Hyde Pierce to Host NY Philharmonic's SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert
by Gabrielle Sierra - Feb 22, 2010


David Hyde Pierce will host the New York Philharmonic's presentation of SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert, Monday, March 15, and Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.

Wilkof, Raben Lead Reprise's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
by Gabrielle Sierra - Feb 18, 2010


The 2009-2010 season of Reprise Theatre Company continues with 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,' 1962's Tony-Award-winning Best Musical, March 16 to 28 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Directed by David Lee, the production's book is by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Signature Theatre Presents SWEENEY TODD, 2/9-4/4
by BWW News Desk - Feb 9, 2010


The Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre, nationally known for its interpretation of Stephen Sondheim musicals, celebrates its 20th anniversary season by presenting Sondheim's most popular musical SWEENEY TODD, directed by Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. The new production runs in the 276-seat MAX Theater, February 9 through April 4, 2010.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What productions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum have there been?
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum has had 15 productions including Broadway which opened in 1962, Broadway which opened in 1962, West End which opened in 1963, US Tour which opened in 1963, Regional (US) which opened in 1971, Broadway which opened in 1972, Broadway which opened in 1972, West End which opened in 1986, US Tour which opened in 1987, Off-Broadway which opened in 1991, Off-Broadway which opened in 1991, Broadway which opened in 1996, Broadway which opened in 1996, West End which opened in 2004 and St. Louis, MO (Regional) which opened in 2017.
What Tony Awards has A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum been nominated for?
Best Musical , , Best Direction of a Musical for Burt SheveloveBest Direction of a Musical for George Abbott and Producer (Musical) for Harold Prince.
What Tony Awards has A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum won?
Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical for Burt Shevelove, Best Direction of a Musical for George Abbott , Producer (Musical) for Harold Prince, .

Videos